


Little Wanders

by isabeau25



Series: Frosted Forest [1]
Category: Epic (2013), Rise of the Guardians (2012)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-27
Updated: 2014-03-27
Packaged: 2018-01-17 05:13:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,520
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1375060
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/isabeau25/pseuds/isabeau25
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Little Jack and Nod stay out after nightfall and find that the shadows aren't very friendly.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Little Wanders

“Jack, we need to head back,” Nod said in exasperation, “it’s almost dark.”

“You’re not afraid of the dark, are you?” Jack flashed a toothy grin at his best friend, “anyway, we can’t go back. We’re lost.”

He said it with all the glee a ten year old could muster, as if being lost would excuse all the trouble they would get into if they got caught out after dark. Nod was not impressed.

“You’re lost,” Nod folded his arms over his chest, “I know how to get home.”

“No you don’t,” Jack stuck his tongue out at him, “you’re just saying that.”

“The river is that way,” Nod pointed, “we’re a mile downstream from Moonhaven, and if we don’t head in soon we’ll have to find somewhere to spend the night, because we won’t be able to find our way in the dark.”

“We could stay out the night,” Jack bounced with excitement, “it would be fun!”

“Not when we got home, it wouldn’t,” Nod grumbled.

Nod was usually more enthusiastic about adventures and rule breaking, but he hadn’t been very interested in fun since his father had been killed a few months ago. Jack knew Nod was really sad, and he just wanted to cheer him up. Nod really loved being out in the forest, so Jack had decided an adventure was in order. Nod had actually seemed to be having fun up until it started to get dark, even if he hadn’t been as enthusiastic about the undertaking as usual.

“Ronin is on night patrol, right?” Jack shrugged, “he won’t notice we’re gone as long as we’re back before he is.”

“Your parents will notice,” Nod huffed.

“Dad is on patrol too, and mom is busy with the baby,” Jack shook his head, “no one will notice. Come on, it will be fine.”

Nod scowled at him for a moment, then relented, “fine. Where do you want to go?”

“There’s all this cool moss growing near where the cranberry shrubs are,” Jack grinned, “it glows in the dark and everything.”

“The cranberries are near the marshes though,” Nod protested, “there are boggans down there.”

“I’m not afraid of boggans,” Jack proclaimed.

Nod gave him a doubtful look, “have you ever met a boggan?”

Jack started to answer confidently, then stopped. He had actually never even seen a boggan. He wasn’t sure he really wanted to, but he did want to go explore the cranberry shrubs and look for glowing moss.

“No, but they won’t be there,” Jack said with authority, “the cranberries aren’t ripe yet. Why would they bother?”

“I guess,” Nod shrugged uncertainly, although glowing moss did sound cool, “it would probably be alright.”

“It will be fun,” Jack grabbed his wrist and started tugging him along.

“The cranberries are in the other direction,” Nod objected, even as he let himself be pulled along.

“No they’re not,” Jack rolled his eyes.

It took Jack another forty-five minutes to admit that the cranberries probably had been in the other direction, and now he really had no idea where they were, and the sun was almost down.

“You know where we are, don’t you?” Jack glanced at Nod.

“I… I’m not sure anymore,” Nod faltered, eyeing the growing shadows around them.

“But you always know where we are,” Jack insisted.

“I told you the cranberries were in the other direction,” Nod scowled at him.

“Then why did you let me go this way?” Jack snapped.

“You didn’t listen!” Nod yelled back.

“You…”

Something crackled loudly in the dense underbrush and both boys jumped, instinctively moving closer to each other. They stepped back from the dark shadows, hearts pounding. Everything was still, and the night air felt unfriendly. They stayed motionless for several minutes, straining to hear any noise at all. When no sound came, they relaxed slightly.

“It was probably just…” Jack started.

Something crashed in the darkness behind them, and Jack grabbed Nod’s hand and ran. Jack’s legs were longer, but Nod was used to keeping up with him. It took a few moments for Nod’s terror to subside enough to realize running was a bad idea.

“Jack stop!” Nod tugged hard, digging his heels in, “we have to stop.”

Jack’s momentum almost sent both of them tumbling to the ground, but they managed to stay upright.

“Nod, we have to keep going,” Jack tried to pull him along.

“No,” Nod refused to move, “it will only get us more lost. We need to get to high ground, up in the trees. That’s where it’s safer.”

Jack tipped his head back, looking doubtfully at the dark, shadowy branches above them.

“It doesn’t look safer,” he shook his head.

“Jack, the shadows are moving,” Nod grabbed onto Jack’s arm, his grip painfully tight.

Jack jerked his gaze down. The shadows where shifting around them, growing longer then shorter, seeming to stretch out towards them. The underbrush crackled and snapped.

“It’s okay,” Jack hedged Nod behind him, heart hammering in his chest, “it’s just the wind. We’re okay.”

“There isn’t any wind,” Nod whispered.

The shadows swarmed in on them, and Jack spun, doing his best to shield Nod. The air felt too heavy to breath, and there was pressure against their ears, like screaming without any sound.

“Nod! Jack!”

Jack lifted his head in time to see Ronin vault off his bird and run to them. The heavy shadows were gone, leaving the clearing full of bright, clear moonlight.

“Ronin!” Nod let go of Jack and flung himself at the general, wrapping his arms around his waist and pressing his face into his armor.

“Are you hurt?” Ronin asked, arm dropping to secure Nod against him and voice tight with worry.

He held a hand out to Jack who darted over to him, tucking himself under his arm.

“We’re okay,” Jack said shakily.

“Nod?” Ronin stroked the trembling boy’s hair.

Nod shook his head, face still buried in Ronin’s armor.

“What are you doing out here?” Ronin demanded, anger replacing his initial fear, “you know you’re not supposed to be out by yourselves, especially at night. Your parents are worried sick Jack.”

“We got lost,” Jack said just a little too quickly.

“I wasn’t lost,” Nod protested automatically, voice muffled by Ronin’s armor.

Ronin narrowed his eyes at both of them, and Nod didn’t need to lift his head to know he was glaring.

“We were going to come home,” Jack tried again, “we were just taking the long way.”

“Ronin, the shadows were moving and making noise,” Nod finally looked up.

Ronin’s head snapped up, his grip tightening around the boys. He scanned the underbrush around them suspiciously.

“Come on,” he ushered them towards his mount, “we’re going home.”

Jack’s dad was waiting for them in the rookery. He hauled Jack off Ronin’s bird as soon as it landed, hugging him hard, then scolding him. He was still chiding him as he led him home by the hand. There was the very real possibility of a grounding in Jack’s near future.

Ronin dismounted and lifted Nod off his bird, setting him on the ground.

“Sorry,” Nod looked down at his feet, hands fidgeting with the hem of his shirt.

“You can’t just wander off like that,” Ronin huffed irritably, “you know better.”

“I’m sorry,” Nod repeated, the beginnings of tears in his voice; he didn’t want Ronin to be mad at him.

Ronin frowned down at the top of Nod’s head, then dropped to one knee, putting himself at the child’s eye level.

“The forest is dangerous Nod,” Ronin lifted his chin, “you and Jack could have been hurt. Do you understand?”

The boy nodded, hands still twisting in the material of his shirt.

“You can’t go there alone,” Ronin pressed.

“But I like the forest,” Nod’s head snapped up.

“I know,” Ronin smoothed back his hair, “but you have to have an adult with you when you go.”

“You never want to come,” Nod glared at him, “you’re always too busy.”

Ronin rubbed the bridge of his nose tiredly, “that doesn’t mean you can go on your own.”

Ronin was busy. There was no way around that. He couldn’t drop what he was doing to take Nod out every time he wanted to go, and Nod was too young to be out on his own, whether he thought so or not.

“It’s not fair,” Nod muttered, scowling at the ground.

“I know,” Ronin pressed a kiss to his hair, “it never is.”

Nod continued to glare at the ground, and Ronin stood with a sigh. The boy was as stubborn as his father had ever been.

“Come on,” Ronin held his hand out, “it’s way past your bed time.”

Nod hesitated, then slid his hand into Ronin’s, “can I stay with you tonight?”

“Of course,” Ronin squeezed his hand.

Nod slumped against Ronin’s side in relief, “can we get wagashi on the way home?”

“No,” Ronin rolled his eyes.

Nod grumbled, but only a little, mostly just happy to be going home with Ronin. Ronin was bigger than the shadows, and he would keep everyone safe.


End file.
